What makes dogs stop eating poop

We discuss two of the more common reasons dogs eat their own waste below. To learn more about why your dog may be eating his own poop, visit the Coprophagia Wikipedia entry.

Problem: lack of nutrients in his diet — Dogs that have parasites or worms do not digest food properly, because the parasites consume many of the nutrients. Dogs may try to re-digest the food to get all of the nutrients they can from it.

Problem: Stress: When dogs are in high stress situations they may behave differently. These differences include eating, which includes eating their own waste. Solution: Did you just adopt your dog? Once you have ruled out medical problems as a cause for the coprophagia, you are left with addressing the behavior.

Because stool-eating is considered a self-rewarding behavior, it can be difficult to reverse. First, make sure your yard is kept free of animal waste. Pick up your dog's stool as soon as possible after defecation.

Be on high alert if your dog tends to eat his own feces during or immediately after defecation. Keep your dog on the leash when defecating. If his attention goes to the feces, immediately turn his attention to you try teaching the "look" command. Reward him for paying attention to you with a tasty treat, then immediately pick up the feces and discard it. Another helpful command to use at this time is to say " leave it.

One more method to prevent coprophagia is to add something to your dog's diet that makes the stool taste bad to the dog. These products will not work for all dogs, but it will generally not harm your dog to try as long as your dog is not allergic to any of the ingredients. Be sure to choose a product that is labeled for dogs, such as "For-Bid" or "Deter. Hart, Benjamin L et al. The paradox of canine conspecific coprophagy. Veterinary medicine and science vol. Brister, DVM, Jacqueline.

Veterinary Partner , Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. If your stool-eating dog lives with other dogs and cats, clean up the poop as soon as it happens. This will minimize poop-eating opportunities. Avoid boredom with plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

This is especially true with working breed dogs — they really need to be kept busy. Feeding real food instead of a processed commercial diet can make a big difference. Add pre and probiotics and digestive enzymes to make sure he gets all the benefits of his food.

With some time, patience, and detective work, you can figure out why your dog is eating poop, and get him to stop. But remember, poop eating is normal behavior! Benjamin L Hart et al. The paradox of canine conspecific coproophagy.

Joanne A. Pilot study to identify risk factors for coprophagic behaviour in dogs , Wageningen University. Suspected carprofen toxicosis caused by coprophagia in a dog. Thyrotoxicosis in a dog induced by the consumption of feces from a levothyroxine-supplemented housemate. Can Vet J. Get instant access to easy-to-make and affordable recipes. Plus get new recipes delivered right to your inbox. What Causes Diabetes In Dogs? What Is Alopecia In Dogs?

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